China's men's soccer team has finally unveiled its choice of head coach: 51-year-old foreign coach Jankovic is expected to take over as head coach of the national team from the original Asian Games coach. According to Soccer Daily, the selection meeting will be held in Foshan, where senior soccer figures such as Xu Genbao and Shen Xiangfu will observe Yankovic's performance.
Given that there are no other strong contenders, Yankovic seems to have become the obvious choice for the new head of the Chinese men's soccer team, just waiting for the official announcement. Obviously, the purpose of the Foshan meeting was to dispel doubts. Xu Genbao and other veterans were invited to attend, but only to appease the media and fans.
Despite Jankovic's calls, the national team and the Asian Games drew 1-1 with last season's second division runners-up in an investigative warm-up match. The opponent had two foreigners, but the overall strength was nothing more than a Chinese B division team. The main framework of the national team's Asian Games is mostly made up of players from the Chinese Super League, including many stalwarts of the national team.
It has to be admitted that this warm-up match was a tough test for Jankovic. The national team failed to win against the challenge of the second division. If Jankovic does take charge of the men's soccer team, what exactly is the future of the 2026 World Cup? The answer seems self-evidently worrying.
The reason why Jankovic was rehired was because the FA lacked a better candidate. If the use of local coaches, the federation is worried about step Li Tie dust. In the end, plus the situation is forced, can only turn to the veteran. I don't know how those soccer veterans who watched Jankovic on-site feel when they see such a report card. Obviously, they will not support Jankovic.
The loss of the B team in the Asian Games signaled that the prospects of the national team in the international arena are not optimistic. From the aspect of selecting a manager, the Chinese men's soccer team seems to have lost at the starting line.
